Thursday, September 1, 2011

091 Cartoons Ain't Human



Title: Cartoons Ain't Human
Studio: Famous
Date: 09/03/43
Credits:
Direction.
Seymour Kneitel
Animation:
Orestes Calpini
Otto Feuer
Story:
Jack Mercer
Jack Ward
Series: Popeye
Running time (of viewed version): 7:28
Commercial DVD Availability: Pv3d2

Synopsis: Popeye makes and shows cartoon. It's not very good.




























Comments: The last black and white Paramount cartoon says my sheet. Certainly the last black and white Popeye theatrical. As I have said this, I am sure there's something black and white later on, but at any rate this marks the end of regular black and white production at Famous, and the end of the Florida tenure. There is a two and a half month gap between this cartoon and No Mutton For Nuttin' and Her Honor the Mare (same day of release, under at least some listings), as the move back to New York was disruptive (and I'm sure the switch to color was also disruptive, tho I would expect they were planning for it, and obviously had had plenty of time to train many of their people on the color cartoons they'd been doing for many years).
Opening title has Simon-esque chalk stick figures. Popeye says "Can't make a cartoon without an idea"; I don't think he's seen all the cartoons I have... There's a black woman in a portrait entitled "Moana Liza"; I'm not sure if this is a reference to Eliza in Uncle Tom's Cabin or not. It's a race based caricature, but registers pretty low on the relative offensiveness scale. She's wearing gloves and a polka dotted dress; was that a thing? There's a topless fan dancer (Dipsy Glee; presumably like Gypsy Rose Lee). A human hand enters the frame to censor Popeye's gag drawing inspired by said dancer. Popeye's pipe comes and goes in one shot. Popeye's short is called "Wages of Sin (Less 20%)". Play within a play. Silhouette shot in his cartoon. His simplified backgrounds still read as more realistic than the first couple Popeyes of the year. Love in Bloom plays. Olive and Popeye in the cartoon, but a ratbone (Roger Blackleg), not Bluto. He has a Burlesk poster of a larger lady, as well, which makes you wonder why he'd want Olive. Popeye has a mobile phone, which would have been more of a joke at the time. Thick lined kangaroo. Interesting nose projection shot. Popeye jumps form pose to pose around Olive.

This is almost a Scrappy cartoon.

A self referential "we're making cartoons" cartoon. See Thunderbean's "Makin' Em Move" for some more examples. Also, She married a Cop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqwYLSNPouc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA3ojENt_io

1 comment:

  1. Interesting you went with Makin' Em Move as a point of reference, since I always associated this one with Porky's Preview. Of course, we never saw Porky at the drawing board in that one, just his false modesty about the end result.

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